New port of entry serving the Californias won't open on time due to delays on U.S. side

A new port of entry at the southern border won't be operative for at least another year as a result of construction delays on the U.S. side, a Mexican governor said this week.

Baja California's Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda said that the construction was supposed to start in September of last year, but that hasn't happened yet.

The port of entry will be located in San Diego, and even though a highway connecting it with the rest of the communication system has been finished, the actual crossing hasn't started.

The project manager told the San Diego Union-Tribune that delays are a result of a discussion between federal agencies regarding roles and responsibilities for the port's maintenance and operations.

"We already hired designers, we have the funds available for construction, and now we are waiting for the green light by Customs and Border Protection and the General Services Administration to officially begin designing the port of entry," said Mario Orso. The project will have an overall cost of $1.2 billion.

Once finished, the crossing will have 10 lanes for both passenger vehicles and commercial trucks.

U.S. authorities granted entry to 44,000 people at land crossings with Mexico through CBP One, the online appointment system. Over half a million people have been allowed in the country through the app since January.

As for illegal crossings, San Diego was the second busiest area over last month, only after Tucson, Arizona. But the amount of migrants apprehended at the U.S. southern border surprisingly fell in March, with officials crediting enforcement actions by the Mexican government as a key factor.

Concretely, Border Patrol agents encountered over 137,000 people crossing the border unlawfully during the period. Even though it's a dip compared to February's 141,000, the figure becomes more significant as seasonal trends pointed at a surge during the period.